13 Days Uganda Gorillas & Great Migration Tanzania Safari

The first port of entry is Entebbe International Airport on the shores of Lake Victoria – Africa’s largest lake where you will be welcomed by our representative before transferring to the lodge for relaxation and overnight.

Accommodation

Midrange: Boma Hotel Entebbe

Luxury: Protea Hotel Entebbe

After breakfast at your place of stay in Entebe, transfer to Fort Portal area 300km about 6 hours’ drive exploring the scenic views of en route landscapes including Mubende inselbergs. Hot lunch will be served in Fort Portal town after which can proceed to the lodge in Kibale Area or choose to visit the Amabere g’ Nyinamwiru caves and hike the Fort Portal crater lake field – an activity which lasts about 2 hours.  The Amabere caves have breast-like features which the locals believe that they are breasts of Nnyinamwiru – a daughter of Bukuku a self-enthroned King of the Bachwezi who denied his daughter a chance to breast feed her son in fear that her son would over throw him.  The hike to the Fort Portal crater field offers incredible views of various crater hollows and lakes that mark this explosion crater which is one of the four of its kind existing in Uganda. The views of Rwenzori Mountains can be viewed at a distance.

Accommodation:

Midrange: Kibale Forest Camp – En suite Safari Tent

Luxury: Primate Lodge – Luxury Cottages  

Embark on exciting Chimpanzee Habituation experience which starts at 6am from the Kanyanchu Tourism center.  It’s a whole day activity spending great time with Chimpanzees from the time they depart their nests to the time they form new nests in the evening at 7pm. Enjoy them as they forage, socialize, mate, make pant hooting calls, hunt, patrol among other activities.  Being a whole day in the forest, you also have great sights of lush flora and a range of impressive bird species. Retire in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight

Accommodation:

Midrange: Kibale Forest Camp – En suite Safari Tent

Luxury: Primate Lodge – Luxury Cottages  

After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park enjoying great views of Rwenzori Mountains and the savannah landscapes en route. An optional game drive in search of tree climbing lions can be organized in Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park en route.

Accommodation

Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp

Luxury: Haven Lodge Buhoma

Gorillas in the mist moment awaits you this morning as you approach the mist covered Impenetrable forest of Bwindi for briefing at 8am.  Depending on the region and the respective gorilla family allocated, you follow the respective trail (some trails involve some bit of driving while others start from the briefing point) with company of the armed park ranger and other guests if they are there. The trek through the forest is a magical one as you hike steep slopes, descend down narrow valleys and traverse the dense vegetation of Bwindi amidst lush flora and enchanting bird songs. You eventually come across these gentle giants in their natural habitat as they feed on their preferred plant material, socialize and the young ones playing in the tree branches and with fellow members. The Silverback can choose to offer you a courteous welcome or ignore you and proceed with its feeding. You spend great time with these critically endangered Apes and take million-dollar photoshoots. The duration of the trek is 2 – 8 hours depending their movement though the actual gorilla viewing time is limited to one (1) for purposes of conservation. After your one hour with the gorillas, return to the starting point and transfer to Kigali Rwanda for relaxation and overnight

Accommodation:

Midrange:  Hotel Chezlando – Bungalows

Luxury: Hotel Mille Collines – Garden rooms

After breakfast, connect to Kigali International Park to check in for your flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport. You are welcomed by our representative to transfer to Arusha for relaxation and overnight

Accommodation

Midrange: African Tulip Hotel

After breakfast, we will depart to Manyara for biking adventure to Lake Manyara. On our way to the soda lake, we can encounter common wildlife like zebras, gazelles and wildebeests. Lake Manyara is also famous for flamingos and different species of water birds.

Later we enjoy our bike ride through Mto Wa Mbu village located 5minutes away from Lake Manyara NP entry gate. Our bike ride will take us to the unique venue where we will enjoy variety of hot local lunch dishes.

After lunch we will proceed to Lake Manyara NP for game viewing. The park is green throughout the year because of its underground water sources. Its verdant color attracts hundreds of spectacular varieties of migratory and wetland birds flying overhead. It also attracts huge populations of flamingos because its shallow alkaline-saline (salt) soda lake creates an ideal environment for microorganisms to grow that flamingos’ feed upon. Manyara’s natural habitat also includes large troops of baboons, velvet monkeys, blue monkeys, and tree climbing lions, hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, elephants, warthogs, impalas, Thomson-gazelles, and Grant gazelles. Leopards, cheetahs, rock/tree hyrax, kudus, elands, bushbucks, waterbucks, and dik-diks also live in this park.

Accommodation

Midrange: Tloma Lodge

After breakfast, depart with picnic lunch for morning game drive on central Plains. Later proceed to Northern Serengeti following the Great Migration along the Mara River.

During the dry season, the herds mass on both banks of the Mara River, frequently crossing – and braving the crocs – in response to local weather patterns that only they seem to understand. The Mara River crossings are not a single event, rather crossings happen throughout the dry season. Groups varying in size from a few hundred to tens of thousands cross the river in both directions between July and October in response to localized weather patterns (following the rain showers and therefore the fresh grazing).

Accommodation

Midrange: Kati Kati Tented Camp

After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Lake Kivu (Gisenyi area) driving through impressive scenic landscapes marked by Rwandan hill sides and the views of Lake Kivu as it stretches from Cyangungu in the south through Kibuye eventually to Gisenyi. You will have lunch stop in Kibuye and continue to arrive in Gisenyi in the afternoon for relaxation and overnight.

Accommodation: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Upmarket/luxury), Palm Beach (Budget/basic) or Hotel Gorillas Lake Kivu (Midrange/standard).

You have a whole day at Kivu Lake enjoying a range of activities that you can choose from including; boat cruise, fishing, cycling, hiking, water sports such as Kayaking, catamaran, Jet Ski and win surfing. In the afternoon, you will transfer to Volcanoes National Park and you visit the iby’wachu cultural village en route to have an encounter with the traditions of Rwanda exploring their architecture, way of life, music dance and drama, handicrafts among others. Continue to your respective lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Lapalme Hotel (Midrange/standard), Muhabura Hotel (Budget/basic) or Mountain Gorilla View Hotel (Luxury/upmarket).

Full day of game drive in the Northern Serengeti focusing on Mara River crossing and Great Migration

Accommodation

Midrange: Kati Kati Tented Camp

After breakfast, depart with picnic lunch for final game drive in Serengeti. After lunch, we will drive in the direction of the Ngorongoro Crater. As soon as you have reached the edge of the crater rim, the crater appears half a mile below you inviting you to gaze at this jaw dropping natural wonder. When you reach its edge and view its 100 square mile expanse, it is a sight to behold. We will arrive at the lodge for evening leisure and hot dinner.

Accommodation

Midrange: Ngorongoro Farm House

After breakfast, we drive to the Ngorongoro Crater and descend into it for a half-day of game viewing.

Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest volcano caldera formed three million years ago and is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world and one of Africa’s most remarkable geological sites.

The Big Five (rhino, elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard) and most of the animal species found in the Serengeti, including zebra, hippos, wildebeest, and cheetahs, can be viewed close up. The Ngorongoro Crater ecosystem maintains the historic balance between people and nature in a way that is not possible in other parks.

Later in the evening ascend and proceed to Maramboi for evening leisure, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation

Midrange: Maramboi Tented Camp

After breakfast, your driver-guide will pick you up from your hotel and you will enjoy the 2hrs leisure drive southwestwards to Tarangire NP.

The Tarangire National Park has the highest concentration of elephants in North – Tanzania and you can view these animals all year round where elephant herd populations can reach as many as 3,000. The Tarangire River has water all year around. During the dry season (July-October), many animals from the surrounding areas come to the river to drink. If you visit the park during the dry season, you will witness an unforgettable natural wonder as you observe exotic big mammals such as lions, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeests, zebras, and various types of antelopes such as gazelles. During the dry season, Tarangire is a haven for bird watchers with over 550 different species including the Maasai Ostrich-the world’s largest bird.